Typographical composing and slug casting machines



Aug. 14, 1956 J. N. BANKS TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING AND SLUG CASTINGMACHINES Filed Sept. 12, 1950 S N M h m o\ v Ax -x wx m m w t t A Q E w\I V! A. Q b N\ n WNW n A- u W NN MHMAMANMMWNMMMM ulmmmmm nummhrqww s. z?1 a A A. .m LWAHQ WHHW mmm.. M mw HmmmmmMUG 1 J r! l Q x m R b A I J I AA I J i imxirfim United States Patent TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSIN'G AND SLUGCASTING MACHINES John Nelson Banks, London, England, assignor toLinotype and Machinery Limited, London, England, a British companyApplication September 12, 1950, Serial No. 184,368

4 Claims. (Cl. 19963) This invention relates to typographical composingand slug casting machines of the kind known commercially under theregistered trademark Linotype wherein circulating matrices are releasedfrom a channelled magazine in the order in which their characters are toappear in print and then assembled into line, the composed linetransferred to the face of a slotted mould, the mould filled with moltenmetal to form a type bar or slug against the matrices which produce thetype characters thereon, and the matrices thereafter elevated andreturned through the medium of distributing mechanism to the channels inthe magazine from which they started. More particularly, it relates tothe matrices of these machines and the assemblage of such matrices in acomposed line.

The. matrices are usually formed with inverted intaglio characters fromwhich a type bar is cast, and these characters are positioned on thematrices with reference to a datum line which passes through the tops ofthe upper case characters (inverted), all characters throughout thevarious fonts growing upwardly from this line. The disadvantage of sucha matrix character arrangement is that it is difiicult to mix differentheights of characters in the same line due to the top alignment.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned disadvantage isavoided by providing in or for a typographical composing and slugcasting machine, a matrix having an intaglio character from which atypographical slug is cast wherein the said character is positivelyformed and positioned on the matrix with reference to a datum linepassing through the base of the character and the top of the characterextends upwardly from this line towards the top of the matrix.

The invention also refers to a method of employing in a typographicalcomposing and slug casting machine a series of matrices having intagliocharacters from which a typographical slug is cast, said charactersbeing positively formed and positioned on the matrices with reference toa common datum line passing through the bases of the characters, whichmethod consists in successively releasing said matrices from a magazineand causing them to travel towards the right of the machine (as viewedfrom the front) to form a composed line of matrices with the saidcharacters thereon facing rearwardly of the machine.

Apparatus for carrying out the invention may comprise means forsuccessively conveying said matrice to a chute, and mechanism forsuccessively directing the matrices towards the right of the machine andinto an assembler gate in which the matrices form a composed line withthe characters thereon facing rearwardly of the machine. The assemblergate may be connected to mechanism for moving it to a position in whichthe matrix line can be transferred to an assembler elevator for carryingthe line to a position from which it can be transferred for casting atypographical slug, and a matrix pusher member may be provided fortransferring the line to the assembler elevator. Preferably, theassembler gate is connected to a shaft which, by means of a hand lever,is rockable to ice lower and raise the assembler gate, said hand leverbeing connected to the matrix pusher and being slidable axially alongthe shaft to operate the pusher.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view of three matrices having intaglio characters ofdifferent sizes;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of part of a typographical composingmachine showing the matrix assembling apparatus according to the presentinvention, and

Figure 3 is a side view, partly broken away, of the mechanism forlowering the assembler gate and transferring the matrices.

Referring to Figure l, the matrices X are formed, as usual, with upperprojecting ears x and lower projecting ears x Each intaglio character Yis positively formed and positioned on a matrix X with reference to adatum line d passing through the base of the character Y and the top ofthe character Y extends upwardly from the line d towards the top of thematrix, that is to say, towards the upper projecting ears x Referringnow to Figure 2, the matrices X released from a magazine (no-t shown) inthe order in which their characters are to appear in print travel on amoving inclined assembler belt 1 by which they are brought against aspring guide 2 which deflects the matrices into a chute 3. A star wheel4 rotating in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2 and disposedat the lower end of the chute 3 pushes the matrices X to the right ofthe machine into a vertically movable assembler gate 5 so that thematrices form a composed line with the characters thereon facingrearwardly of the machine. The assembler gate 5 is located to the rightof the usual vertically movable assembler elevator 6 which is providedin the machine for carrying a line of matrices upwardly to a positionfrom which the line is transferred for casting a typographical slug.

The assembler gate 5 is provided with a fixed shelf 7 and an adjustableshelf 8 so that if two-character matrices are used the same may beassembled at different levels in Well-known manner. A slide 9 having anupright finger 10 is mounted in the assembler gate 5 and when matricesare pushed by the rotating star wheel 4 into the assembler gate 5 thematrices bear against the finger 10 and the slide 9 is moved to theright to carry the composed line of matrices into the assembler gate 5.

In its matrix-receiving position shown in Figure 2 the assembler gate 5is at a higher level than the lowermost position of the assemblerelevator 6. Mechanism is, therefore, provided for lowering the assemblergate 5 to a position in which matrices can be readily transferred to theassembler elevator 6. The assembler gate 5 is arranged to slide invertical guides 11 secured to the machine frame and is provided with adownwardly extending link 12 which is pivotally connected at 13 to anarm 14 secured to and extending rearwardly from a rotary shaft 15mounted in bearings 16 .in the machine frame, so that a rocking movementof the shaft 15 moves the assembler gate 5 upwardly and downwardly inthe guides 11. The shaft 15 is formed with a keyway 17 which is engagedby a key18 on a hand lever 19 having an arm 20 pivotally connected at 21to the lower end of an upwardly extending link 22 which at its upper endis formed with a slot 23 engaging a pin 24 on a horizontally slidablematrix pusher 25, formed with a matrix-engaging head 26. An upwardmovement of the hand lever 19 thus turns the shaft 15 to lower theassembler gate 5, and a leftward movement of the hand lever 19 axiallyalong the shaft 15 moves the matrix pusher 25 so causing the head 26 tobear against the end matrix in the composed line and transfer thematrices from the assembler gate 5 towards the assembler elevator 6. Theupper end of the 3 slotted link 22 is so arranged that during theleftward movement of the link 22 and hand lever 19 the upper end of thelink 22 bears against the end of the slide 9 in the assembler gate 5 oragainst the finger on said slide, so as to return the slide 9 withfinger 10 to the position for receiving another matrix line.

When the assembler gate 5 is lowered, it is brought level with, and tothe right of, a fixed intermediate channel 27. The assembler elevator 6when .in its lower position is level with and to the left of theintermediate channel 27, and is provided with a spring catch 28 whicheugages the underside of the intermediate channel 27. Leftward movementof the hand lever 19, therefor, causes the head 26 of the matrix pusher25 to engage the line of matn'ces and transfer it from the assemblergate 5 through the intermediate channel 27 and .into the assemblerelevator 5. As the matrix pusher 25 reaches the end of its leftwardstroke, a projection 29 on the head 26 engages the spring catch 28 andreleases it from the underside of the intermediate channel 27. When soreleased, the assembler elevator 6 is moved upwardly by any suitablemechanism (such as a spring or power-operated mechanism ormanually-operated mechanism) to carry the matrix line to a position fromwhich it can be transferred for casting a typographical slug.

Movement of the hand lever 19 to the right along the shaft restores thematrix pusher to its original position, and a downward movement of thehand lever 19 rocks the shaft 15 to return the assembler gate 5 to theupper position for receiving another line of matrices. If desired, theassembler gate 5, the assembler elevator 6 and the intermediate channel27 may be respectively provided with flat steel springs 5 6 and 27 toassist in retaining the matrices in an upright position.

Having described my invention, I declare that what claim is:

1. A series of matrices adapted to be composed in line from left toright and with their casting edges facing away from the compositor, saidmatrices bearing on their casting edges intaglio characters of difierentheights which are positively formed and positioned on the matrices withreference to a common datum line passing through the bases of thecharacters, the tops of said characters extending upwardly from saiddatum line towards the tops of the matrices.

2. in a typographical composing and slug casting machine equipped withmatrices each having on its casting edge an intaglio character which ispositively formed and positioned on the matrix with reference to a datumline passing through the base of the character, the top of saidcharacter extending upwardly from said datum line towards the top or"the matrix, the combination therewith of assembling apparatus comprisingmeans for successively conveying said matrices to a chute in the orderin which their characters are to appear in print, and mechanism forsuccessively directing the matrices from said chute towards the right ofthe machine and into an assembler gate in which the matrices form acomposed line with the characters on their casting edges facingrearwar-dly of the machine.

3. n a typographical composing and slug casting machine equipped withmatrices each having on its casting edge an intaglio character which ispositively formed and positioned on the matrix with referenec to a datumline passing through the base of the character, the top of saidcharacter extending upwardly from said datum line towards the top of thematrix, the combination therewith of assembling apparatus including anassembler gate, means for successively directing the matrices in theorder in which their characters are to appear in print towards the rightof the machine and into said assembler gate to form a composed line withthe characters on their casting edges facing rearwardly of the machine,an assembler elevator for receiving the line of matrices, mechanism formoving the assembler gate to a position in which the line of matricescan be transferred to the assembler elevator, and means for transferringthe line of matrices from the assembler gate to the assembler elevator.

4. The method of casting type bars with type characters which in printread from left to right and which are arranged in base alignment,comprising the steps of providing a series of matrices formed in theircasting edges with positive intaglio characters positioned thereon withreference to a common datum line passing through the bases of thecharacters and with the tops of said characters extending upwardly fromsaid datum line towards the tops of the matrices, selecting the matricesfor composition in the order in which their characters are to appear inprint,

COmposing said matrices in line, in the order of their characterselection, from left to right with their casting edges facing away fromthe compositor and with the characters in base alignment, and castingthe type bars from the matrix lines as thus composed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS868,538 Drewell Oct. 15, 19.07 1,028,137 Rogers June 4, 1912 1,088,440Morrison Feb. 24, 1914 1,099,488 Coe June 9, 1914 1,105,204 Mayer et al.July 28, 1914 1,111,098 Rogers Sept. 22, 1914 1,231,912 Kingsbury July3, 1917 1,477,436 Freund Dec. 11, 1923 1,671,129 Rousseau May 29, 19282,098,916 Freund Nov. 9, 1937 2,166,726 Mead July 18, 1939

